Newspaper article, Indianapolis, Indiana; August 7, 1897: MAN ROASTED TO DEATH ENGINEER JAMMED AGAINST A HOT BOILER IN A WRECK. Collision Between a Pennsylvania Fast Train and a Monon Engine Other Trainmen Escape Serious Injury. Through some one s blunder, William Martin, engineman on the Monon, is dead and a large amount of railroad property is damaged. The fast train on the Chicago division of the Pennsylvania, due here at 3:30 this morning, ran head end into a Monon engine hauling a cut of cars. The crash could be heard for squares. The hissing of steam and the shouts of men awakened every one in the neighborhood of the Market-street crossing, where the accident occurred. Some one turned in a fire alarm and in a short time Chief Barrett was at the scene, and several of the city firemen gave what assistance was possible. On the Monon engine was William M. Martin, engineman, and Thomas C. Jay, fireman. The Chicago train was late, and the operator let the engine and cut of cars onto the right hand track. The engine had almost stopped when the headlight of the Chicago express was seen around the curve, and the train whistled for the Washington-street crossing. Martin blew the whistle of his engine warning the other train to stop, but it was going too fast. Accounts differ as to the speed it was making, but most of the trainmen say it was running fully twenty-five miles an hour. The engines were driven into each other so hard that they were almost welded together. The tanks were broken, and the Monon engine was knocked from the track. The Chicago train was in charge of conductor Thomas Davidson and engineman Ray(?) Bennett. Bennett shut off steam and threw on the air, hoping to stop his train, but he was too close. He and his fireman jumped and escaped with a few bruises. Bennett at first thought that his arm was broken, but this was found not to be the case. The baggage car on the Pennsylvania train was badly broken, but the baggage-master, express messengers and postal clerks all escaped injury. The passengers were considerably alarmed and piled out of the train in a hurry, some of those sleepers hardly taking time to dress. It was soon learned that none of the passengers was hurt, and in a short time another engine arrived and took the train to the Union Station. After some delay it was sent on to Louisville. Roasting to Death When it was seen that the express train would not stop, fireman Jay, on the Monon engine, called to Martin to jump, at the same time springing from the cab. Martin attempted to jump, but his foot was caught by something and before he could extricate it the crash came. He was pitched forward against the boiler. The tank, loaded with coal, was pressed up against him, and there he was slowly roasting to death. His screams and calls for help were awful to hear, and once or twice he spoke the name of his wife. Fire Chief Barrett and Patrick Murphy, engineer of the Eights, climbed on the tank and began to dig the unfortunate man out. Fireman Jay was already up there calling
to the wounded engineman to keep up courage, and they would get him out. Martin was in such a position that his face rested against the hot boiler. Jay would pass him cold water to drink and attempted to try to hold his face away from the boiler. At last a board was placed between Martin s face and the hot iron, and this for a second or two gave him some relief. But the board got hot and would soon have been in flames had it not been taken out. One of the women in the neighborhood handed up a woolen comfort, and this was placed against the boiler, and when Martin s head would fall over it rested against it. It was the comfort that kept him from roasting to death in the cab. He was barely alive when he was placed in the ambulance and taken to St. Vincent s. He reached there a little after 4 o clock and died at 5:30 o clock. The hot steam had almost par-boiled his body, and his face where it rested against the boiler head was burned to a crisp. His left leg was broken above the ankle and his internal injuries were so serious that he could not have recovered even if he had not been so badly scalded. There was some delay in getting an engine to the spot so as to pull the cut of cars away from the Monon engine, and until the cars were pulled away it was hardly possible to get Martin out. Martin was twenty-nine years old and had been in the employ of the Monon for a number of years. About two years ago he was put in charge of an engine and in a short time would have got a passenger run between Indianapolis and Chicago. He leaves a wife and three children. The property loss to both companies will aggregate about $1,000. The accident did not delay any train for the reason that the left track was used. The wrecking crews from both companies were soon at work and by 10 o clock all was cleared away. Responsibility for the Accident Who is responsible for the accident will be decided by an investigation. The Pennsylvania people say that they had the right of way and that the yard engine with the cut of cars had no right on the track. The Monon people say that the Pennsylvania train being late, the operator or switchman let them out on the track and this gave them the right to be there. At the office of the Pennsylvania but little could be learned because the train crew had gone to Louisville. The men will return this evening. The statement of the switchman at Washington street made both to the Pennsylvania people and to the officers of the Union Railway Company, is that the engine with a cut of twenty cars was sent down the Massachusetts avenue station. The train backed into the wards at Liberty street and one car was cut off and a brakeman rode on it to the freight yard. The brakeman on the cut off cars asked a flagman where the fast Chicago express was. The flagman said that the train was late, but should be in sight then, and the engine and cut must get out of the way. The flagman says that the brakeman gave the engineman a signal to go ahead and the train of cars started. The flagman says that when he saw what had been done, he tried to signal the engineman to stop, but he was too far away. There were three blasts on the Monon whistle, the flagman says, and then the cut came to a sudden stop and the crash came. The flagman says the accident happened at 3:41 o clock and that the Chicago express was more than ten minutes late. The Pennsylvania is investigating why the cut of cars was allowed to leave Massachusetts avenue on the passenger train s line. 2
The Monon officers say that the engineman of the express train did not have his train under control in the yard limits, as required: that if he could have controlled his train he would have stopped in time to prevent the collision. The coroner has ordered the train crew to report to him for examination at once. WILLIAM M. MARTIN, Engineer. (From a group picture.) 3
William M. Martin, engineman, and Thomas C. Jay, fireman, on their Monon engine. Newspaper depiction of the engines after the wreck. 4
Subsequent newspaper article, Indianapolis, Indiana; undated: VERDICT FOR $7,250 For Mrs. Lettie Martin Against the Pennsylvania Company. In the Superior Court yesterday Judge McMaster rendered judgment for the plaintiff for $7,250 on the verdict of the jury in the case of Lettie R. Martin, administratrix of the estate of William M. Martin, against the Pennsylvania railroad company. Martin was an engineer in the employ of the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville railway company, and on the morning of Aug. 7, 1897, was hauling out of the yards a train of twenty freight cars. At the Market-st. crossing a Pan-Handle passenger train, in-bound, running at terrific speed, struck his engine, both engines being wrecked. Martin was caught between the end of his tank and the boiler head and scalded to death. The suit was for $10,000, and a suit for a new trial was overruled by Judge McMaster. WILLIAM MONROE MARTIN 1868-1897 5